Washington – The AFL-CIO has endorsed President Biden’s reelection campaign in a major win for the President as he works to shore up Labor support for his 2024 White House bid.
The general board of AFL-CIO voted June 16 to endorse Biden and Vice President Harris –– the earliest the AFL-CIO has ever voted to endorse in a presidential election. Biden rallied with union members June 17 in Philadelphia.
“There’s absolutely no question that Joe Biden is the most pro-union president in our lifetimes,” AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler said in a statement. “From bringing manufacturing jobs home to America to protecting our pensions and making historic investments in infrastructure, clean energy and education, we’ve never seen a president work so tirelessly to rebuild our economy from the bottom up and middle out.”
The AFL-CIO also endorsed Biden for president in 2020.
Biden is the clear favorite for the party’s 2024 nomination, though two Democrats have announced campaigns to challenge him: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Marianne Williamson.
Biden spoke at the 29th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention in June 2022 and has been joined at the White House various times throughout the year by representatives from the Federation.
“We’ve never seen a president more forcefully advocate for workers’ fundamental right to join a union. Now, it’s time to finish the job,” Shuler said.
OTHER UNIONS ANNOUNCE THEIR SUPPORT
Four other key unions threw their support behind Biden Friday on the eve of the rally in Philadelphia: the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Nurses United (NNU).
The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) endorsed Biden earlier this month, citing the infrastructure law as an accomplishment of the administration, giving LIUNA members more opportunities to build and creating tens of thousands of new jobs.
AFSCME
AFSCME, a union of public service workers, said job creation under the Biden administration, as well as the bipartisan infrastructure law and steps to cut prescription drug prices, all contributed to their decision to endorse him.
“Joe Biden is the most pro-worker president of our lifetime. He respects and protects working people – especially front-line public service workers – and the essential work they do,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in a statement.
AFSCME is the largest trade union of public employees in the United States, representing 1.3 million public sector employees and retirees, including health care workers, corrections officers, sanitation workers, police officers, fire fighters and childcare providers.
AFGE
“During his first term, President Biden has proven himself to be the most Labor-friendly president in history. The results of our endorsement process show that he is the overwhelming choice of AFGE members,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley
“President Biden’s administration has been there for AFGE members and for all workers,” Kelley said. ”He isn’t afraid to say he supports Labor unions, and we’re not afraid to say we support Joe Biden. Next November, we are going show up and give President Biden and Vice President Harris another four years to finish the job by building on the tremendous progress they have achieved so far.”
AFGE represents over 750,000 workers in nearly every agency of the federal and D.C. governments, spread across over 900 local unions. Its members include nurses, correctional officers, doctors, Social Security professionals, TSA agents, law enforcement officers park rangers and others. AFGE’s highest memberships are the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.
NURSES
NNU is the nation’s largest union of registered nurses with nearly 225,000 members nationwide.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris took decisive, lifesaving action at the very start of their term, when their administration confronted the deadly global pandemic,” said NNU President Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN. “They have championed nurses’ right to organize and fight collectively for safe patient care conditions. They have led the way in pushing Congress to pass critical legislation that protects public health and safety. Nurses have their back in 2024 because, when we look at their track record, we can see that they have ours.”
AFT
The AFT Executive Council announced its own formal endorsement on May 31, after polling and discussions with hundreds of thousands of its members. Of the Democrats, 92 percent backed Biden-Harris for another term.
“President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are the most pro-Labor, pro-public education leaders our country has seen in modern history,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
“Joe and Kamala understand in their souls the challenges families face, and how important it is to their dignity to earn a decent living and have a shot at owning a home, or securing a retirement, or affording college. They know union membership can be transformative.”
AFT represents 1.7 million public school teachers and school staff, higher education faculty and other campus workers, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and public employees, across more than 3,000 locals nationwide.
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